Ratchet tools, such as ratchet wrenches, typically include a pawl and ratchet mechanism that allows relative rotation of the wrench drive in one direction, while preventing relative rotation of the drive in an opposite direction to impart torque to a work piece. These pawl mechanisms include an elastically-biased pawl that has teeth that matingly engage gear teeth in a drive gear to prevent relative rotational movement. The elastic bias is provided by an elastic member, for example a spring, to cause engagement between the pawl and drive gear to effectively prevent rotational movement, thus imparting torque to a work piece.
Conventional elastic members fail or disengage, for example, when the ratchet tool is dropped or when the ratchet tool applies a large amount of torque. This failure typically occurs because the spring is weakly connected to a hoop spring and therefore slips off the hoop spring during use.